Paper Heart Roses
by MsTickTock
Summary: He met her many times. She was a white rose, with hidden colours. Waiting to be loved. SxS
1. Chapter 1

Summary: _He met her many times. She was a white rose, with hidden colours. Waiting to be loved. SxS_

Disclaimer: Tick would be indifferent, but Tock really really minds a lot!

**Part 1**

She never sold roses.

That was all Syaoran Li knew after he visited the shop to buy a bouquet of said flowers for his yet another girlfriend. He was new to Tomoeda and no one told him about that or that he will meet _her._

"Welcome to Kero's Flowers!"

The girl was carrot topped and her eyes curved into glittering slits, much like the colour of the emerald bracelet he held in his pocket, waiting to be given away.

_Her_ mouth was small and blood red, constrasting with the pale shade of her skin. _Her_ smooth, oval brow gave away her youthfulness. One word to describe _her_ –breathtaking. She wasn't beautiful, then again, something about this girl made him catch his breath and do a double take.

"Yes, can I help you?" She wore a floral apron over a plain white blouse and was trimming some lilies.

Syaoran just realized he was standing there, staring at her like a statue. He refocused and gave a dazzling smile.

"I would like to have twelve white roses please."

_Thunk._ The shears fell on the floor.

Her cheery smile shrank by a few centimeters. The eyes lost their glitter and curvature almost immediately. An awkward silence ensued.

Syaoran gave a slight cough. "Is..anything the matter?"

She forced her lips to stretch wider and said apologetically," Sir…I am afraid we don't sell roses…"

"Well, order some then. I want it by nightfall."

"No…We really don't have roses…" She looked away.

"Sakura! Is anything the matter?" A silver haired guy popped his head from behind the counter.

She hurriedly said,"Yuki…no, nothing…"

That was of no use as Syaoran Li has answered the query by the man named Yuki. Yukito gave a surprised look but nodded his head nonetheless and asked for his address. Throughout the whole conversation, Sakura- as Yukito called her- kept her head bowed.

At night when the roses were delivered, it wasn't her who came.

_One week later..._

Syaoran arrived at the doorstep of Kero's Flowers. He was so entranced by _her_ that he just had to come back again, just to see that pretty face. He came prepared as well. A custom bouquet done at the shop, partly as an excuse. A good one, if he might say.

"Sakura…?" he entered the shop, the bell ringing as he went.

"A-!" Sakura gave a slight jump, before turning to meet that familiar, alluring voice.

Upon seeing this, Syaoran can't help but gave a slight smirk.

Sakura blushed.

"I'm here to ask if I can have a custom bouquet at this shop? Your flowers are of very good quality and arrangement is really pleasing." He gestured around the shop.

"Erm…" she played with her fingers, looking down, not daring to meet this mysterious pair of eyes, boring into her. "Well… I'll have to ask Yuki, but he's not here today…"

"Oh, never mind then. Can you teach me the meaning of flowers first, so I won't be wrong in sending them?"

Their conversation drifted off…

Syaoran soon forgot about this until Valentine's Day. His current girlfriend cutely asked for a long stemmed white rose. Agreeing, he let her drag him into a floral shop, without knowingly, Kero's Flowers.

"Yes, can I help y-"

The same girl turned around. Sparkling emeralds met his fiery ambers.

Her skin tinted a pale, cherry blossom pink as she looked away.

Syaoran felt himself catch his breath.

Not noticing this exchange, his stead cheerily requested for the rose.

The girl_- Sakura_- he remembered, was about to say something before she hesitated," Wait a moment," before floating into the backroom.

Minutes later, she appeared with a single rose. The velvety petals were slightly crumpled, but a ribbon was loosely tied at the stem of the flower. It fit snugly into his girlfriend's hand.

"Hey! I want another one! This isn't even pretty enough!"

Syaoran sighed and put an arm around his girlfriend.

Sakura stiffened.

" Shh…It will do for now. We will get another one later." As though entranced by that deep, luscious voice that even Sakura blushed at hearing, the girl leaning on his arm shushed and nodded.

Syaoran gave her one last glance before they headed out of the shop.

The white rose stood straight and proud. It wasn't perfect, but the crisp scent and ivory white colour reminded him of_ her_, of the girl at the flower shop.

_The girl has a name now. She is Sakura._ He reminded himself.

When Valentine's Day ended and couples threw away their flowers, his girlfriend followed suit.

"You can get me another tomorrow and for the more tomorrows that come. Every rose is the symbol of a date!" Was what she said.

She didn't know she didn't- and couldn't last for long. None of them did. It wasn't their fault though. They just didn't click with him.

Syaoran hid the rose in the inner lining of his jacket on the pretense of throwing it away. He left it pressed between an encyclopedia at home for the days to come.

Months passed…

He was on his way for lunch when he passed by Kero's Flowers. She was arranging a bunch of dried forget-me-nots at the front gate.

Their eyes met across the busy street.

No one was sure who waved first. Syaoran gave a slight grin while she shyly smiled and turned her flaming face away, breaking the seemingly-electrified connection. He stuffed his hand in his well tailored suit pockets and continued on briskly.

_Those beautiful emerald eyes, staring into his. That shock that shook him off his feet when he saw her. That beautiful pair of lips he long to take giving a slight hint of a smile. He realised, he was in love._

"And I was telling you! What a little shit he was!" The banter in the pub grew louder with every passing moment as the men emptied bottle after bottle. Syaoran winced as the noise added to his headache.

The bartender set his order of beer in front of him. "Bad night?" The bartender asked easily. Syaoran nodded. He closed his eyes, allowing the lively banters to drift around him.

"Hey, do you know that girl at Kero's, that cutie?" Syaoran was shaken out of his reverie when he heard that. _Didn't he mean Sakura?_

"Yeah, have you heard about her fiancé?" another replied.

"What happened?" Syaoran couldn't help but cut into their conversation, curious.

"New here, aren't you? _Everyone_ in town is talking about it."

Seeing Syaoran's uncomprehending expression, the speaker continued.

"Well, her fiancé, Tai, crashed a month before their wedding half a year ago,"

The man glanced around before dropping his voice a notch.

"And what's more, I heard he crashed with his _ex-girlfriend_. How twisted was that? I thought Sakura was a great couple with him…"

_She had a fiance. But she's hurt._

The two men murmured among themselves.

"He always gave her a single rose and a poem to mark an anniversary_…"_

"…can't imagine what happened…"

"And if I'm not wrong… he died today…"

_Today. _

Syaoran sprang to his feet. Despite the alcoholic content in his system, he sprinted out of the bar.

_I have to look for her. I have to…_

Once he got of the pub, he cursed. It was pouring like nothing and he didn't have any umbrella. _That didn't matter. I need to find her. I need her. _He ran in the direction of the local cemetery.

The rain plastered his hair to his forehead. _Sakura…Sakura_. All the thoughts in his mind where focused on finding that one person. He couldn't linger anymore. _She_ was definitely the one. He needed her like water, like breath, most of all, like the white roses he loved. He was sure, she needed him too.

He thought of her copper locks, her entrancing eyes and squinted through the rain to find them.

Lightning flashed. He saw a huddle of white at a certain stone towards the west. _Sakura?_

He jumped over the stones and dashed for all he could. It was her, crying. The stone she was in front of read:

_1980-2007_

_Tsuruga Tai_

Black and white roses laid on the stone. In that instant, everything came to him. The letters, the roses.

"_Tai always gave her a single rose and a poem to mark an anniversary."_

Everything was important to her. But _everything _she lost in a second.

But he hoped, that everything he felt could fill her empty heart again.

"Sakura…" His voice rasped, ragged from the running. The heavy rain was thinning out and he could see the streaks of crying on her face through the water veil.

Her eyes were puffy and red. She was _beautiful, but vulnerable._

He pulled her up in a wet hug. Their eyes met.

_What do you want?_

_Don't be sad anymore. You are too beautiful for the world. Let me heal you, from all the pain._

Those emeralds glittered with uncertainty.

_Promise?_

_Promise._

Through the drizzle, a slight hue of colours formed in the sky as they came closer, brushing their lips against each others.

At that moment, a petal of the white rose bud in the bouquet peeked out.

_The happiness I promised you. _

Hey! Tick and Tock here! Sorry for the long disappearance act! School was busy busy! The next chapter of If You Could See Me Now is still in the birth stages, so stay with us and be patient! Review!

The next and last chapter will be up on March 14th! Happy Valentine's Day everyone out there!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Sad to say, CCS is not mine.

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* * *

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_On bended knees, I pray. Hoping the place that was once occupied by him would now rightfully be mine._

**Chapter 2: Bouquet**

"Just another minute…" Li Syaoran mumbled and buried his face deeper into Sakura's hair as they sat on the isolate park bench, cuddling.

If there was one thing the people in Tomoeda talked about, it was about Kero's Flowers' owner, Sakura Kinomoto and the expanding business tycoon, Li Syaoran.

According to the various waggling tongues, the _suave_ Li Syaoran swept Sakura off her feet when he entered Tomoeda, breaking as many hearts as well as capturing many's attention. They were the perfect couple, even better than Tai could have done, thought the majority.

. . .

There was nothing this sweet couple didn't find interest in talking about, except Tsuraga Tai. Whenever his name is mentioned, Sakura would immediately close off. Those eyes could lose their glitter and her mouth would become a firm thin line. Ever since then, it was an unspoken rule that they should not speak of that subject.

All Syaoran knew through Tomoyo Daidouji, Sakura's best friend, was that they had a big row.

"_She hated him ever since that day he died. You won't ever be like him, will you?"_ _She asked. He nodded in agreement._

Sakura hated him for cheating on her. Hated him for every lie he told.

He sighed. He couldn't even buy roses on dates because of that. He really wondered, what happened?

"Sarky, where are we going tomorrow?"

Green eyes rolled around.

"The beach! Didn't you ask me to bring you there?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

"You forget all the time, be it today or tomorrow! I want dinner now, let's go."

. . .

The car door closed as a pissed-off couple climbed in.

The beach was about the length of a swimming pool, with rubbish littered all over the land.

"Told you the beach wasn't fun… Tomodea's beach is nothing compared to France's."

"Well, then let's go France someday."

"Seriously. Promise?"

"Promise."

Amber mahogany stared into shimmering emeralds. The earth stopped spinning, the time stopped ticking and a magical silence enveloped them.

They were the only two in the world. Nothing could have prevented this moment, not even fate.

She looked away broke the minute long silence, _just like then._

"Did you ever think about our future?"

_He didn't answer, the wisps of dark hair falling over his face._

Syaoran was still staring at her.

She turned back.

"What do you see?"

_He grinned cheekily._

"What do _you _see?" Syaoran retorted

"Hey, this is serious." Her eyes were boring holes into him.

"_You, always and only you." He leaned forward to meet her lips. _

He rubbed her shoulder affectionately and finally faced away towards the windshield. "You. I only see you." Only to turn back at the last moment, lips ready for a kiss.

"_Sakura..you are the only one. Believe me." He whispered into her lips, hair tousled between his fingers._

_You are the only one._

"No…no…" A lone tear trickled down her cheeks as everything came rushing back to her.

Syaoran cast a worried look over. "What is it, Sakura?"

She covered her face as she wept silently, sinking down into the seat.

Syaoran took her in his arms.

Her fists against his chest, her face next to his neck.

She shivered lightly, her voice hoarse.

'How…how could I hate the one I love? If…if we could go back, Tai, and start once more…"

He stiffened.

The calming warmth left her. She looked up. All she saw were disappointed eyes.

"You never did forget him, did you?" Syaoran asked quietly.

She could only see the blind tears falling, drop after drop.

"I…don't want to share my place with someone else. It isn't fair to you or me. Perhaps we should just stop, Kinomoto."

The engine revved to life.

Drive to the Kinomoto household was quiet.

As the car purred to a stop, Sakura leaned forward to peck him on the lips_._

"_If we could go back…Tai…"_

Out of reflex, he turned away.

"I'm sorry."

She got out of his car shakily and walked towards the building. After she disappeared from his line of vision, Syaoran banged his head against the steering wheel.

A loud honk resonated through the street.

. . .

Weeks passed.

Yukito only shook his head as Syaoran appeared time and again in Kero's Flowers.

"Give her some time." He advised.

While Tomoyo told him the gist of Sakura and her boyfriend, giving him that infuriatingly mysterious smile.

. . .

Sakura realized she had been using Syaoran like a love automated cash transition machine time and again. Asking, begging for more each time. Until she realized Syaoran had no more to offer. All the love he could offer was already used up by her.

No matter how much she battered, how much she kicked the machine, she realized that it was futile.

. . .

"Tomoyo…I always thought Syaoran was a fling. But then I had been having this dream of them drowning and yelling at me for help. Who is more important to me? Who?" Sakura cried in the phone.

Tomoyo sighed. Sakura has been avoiding Syaoran for weeks now and _she _has somehow turned into the middleman. _She_ had to be the one telling stories, mopping up tears and comforting the both of them.

"Sakura…open your eyes. You can't reason around anymore. I think you might just have fallen for Syaoran. "

. . .

Syaoran rearranged the bouquet of flowers in his arms. Roses of colours twirled around each other, clasped tightly. He approached the biggest tree where Sakura told him to wait. He cleared his throat when he saw the flutter of a skirt from behind it. _Sakura. _

"Hey." He leaned against the opposite side.

"Hey."

Silence ensued.

"I-"

"I-"

Syaoran smiled. "It's okay, you first."

He could literally hear Sakura blush.

"Perhaps you don't want to listen anymore. But Syaoran, I believe that at any time, I could only have one important person."

"It was over something really stupid. Just some lovers' quarrel. He used to be a huge playboy too. Perhaps that was why I didn't know about his others.

But if he was still here, I might not have met you at all. I was afraid, I couldn't give you enough."

Syaoran walked over to the other side. Sakura gasped. Pink, red, white, green, peach. Roses of every colours were there. He hugged her.

The bouquet of flowers was crushed between them, petals ripped, falling all over the ground.

"Listen."

The wind whistled through the leaves. The crickets chattered quietly.

"Tsuraga–san must be listening. Just say whatever you like."

He felt his shirt getting moist. Sakura was weeping silently.

"_Tai, I'm sorry."_

"From now on, I will be the only one giving you roses, no one else. And this time, I won't make any more mistakes."

The white roses were in full bloom.

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Sorry for the late update! Happy White Day! Tick and Tock.


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